Wesleyan to Renovate and Expand Tennis Courts

Oct 05, 2016

Wesleyan University is expanding and renovating the Vine Street tennis courts to create 16 new, state-of-the-art courts for use by both the university and Middletown High School.

The project, a collaborative effort between Wesleyan and Middletown, involves resurfacing and reconstruction of existing courts, including team benches and windscreens. Half the courts would be devoted to Wesleyan use and half to Middletown, with the understanding that either could use all 16 courts for special events such as league or conference championships.

"Our tennis programs were both nationally ranked last season and the upgraded facilities will allow us to host NESCAC tournaments and possibly NCAA events," said Mike Whalen, director of athletics. "These much-needed improvements will benefit both our campus and the Middletown community."

The Wesleyan tennis program is one of the fastest rising in the country, with women's and men's teams jumping from unranked to No. 8 and No. 10, respectively, in national rankings over the past three years. In the last two years, Wesleyan tennis has crowned seven All-Americans and 21 Academic All-Americans.

Construction on the tennis courts is already underway. A portion of the construction will be completed this fall, with the goal to finish the entire project before Wesleyan's spring tennis season begins in 2017.